The design aims to fix one of the main shortcomings of the turbines: The fact that they’re essentially useless when there’s no wind. Adding PV solar cells to the spinning blades will allow the turbines to generate power via the sun, ensuring that the turbines are doubly useful in sunny and windy conditions. The combination will also ensure that the turbines will produce some electricity on sunny but windless days.

One unintended problem, though, based on computer simulations, is that the moving solar cells produce bright beams of light. These could potentially be temporarily blinding for people nearby, which could be dangerous for pilots.

Currently the University of Liverpool research team is looking for a place to start testing the turbines.

“We are confident we can transform the world’s renewable energy needs,” Dr. Joe King told Inhabitat. “Just think what our turbines could do in countries like Australia.”

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About The Author

Christof Demont-Heinrich is founder, creator and editor of SolarChargedDriving.Com, which he launched in September 2009. A journalism professor at the University of Denver (DU), Demont-Heinrich is a lifelong environmentalist who loves to bird, hike, camp, and bike. As passionate as he is about the environment -- and about promoting the synergy between solar power and electric cars, he is equally passionate about writing.